


Small Smiles

by Threshie



Series: De-aged Dean [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Drives the Impala (Supernatural), Cowboy Hats, De-Aged Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Pie, Fanart, Feels, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Kid Dean Winchester, Selectively Mute Dean Winchester, Sequel, fic contains art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 10:27:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19271380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Threshie/pseuds/Threshie
Summary: Castiel drives quiet four-year-old Dean home in the Impala, and tries ways to get him to smile. Sequel to my little fic Suddenly Small, where Dean gets de-aged. (Features my art of Kid!Dean wearing a cowboy hat. ♥)





	Small Smiles

It felt odd to be behind the wheel of the Impala. In the years he’d been part of the Winchesters’ found family, Castiel had never been the one in the driver’s seat, not of this car. He’d never expected that to happen with Dean also in the car, that was for sure.

Dean, tiny four-year-old that he was right now, sat quiet and solemn in the passenger seat. Cas knew that children should have a special car seat, but for all of Baby’s arsenal of hunting supplies, she did not have that onboard. He’d strapped tiny Dean into the passenger side of the Impala’s big front bench seat with the trench coat still bundled around him, hoping it would add a little bulk and help keep Dean more securely held by the belt.

When Cas had sat the little boy down, Dean had been reluctant to let go of his neck. It had taken some gentle assurances from the angel that they were going to ride together and mentioning Baby by her nickname before Dean had allowed it. Now, driving carefully down the back road route that had led them to the witch’s cabin, Cas kept glancing at Dean and wondering how to comfort him.

Dean wouldn’t be reverting to his selectively mute state from childhood unless something was deeply upsetting him. Maybe it was just the weight of all of his adult self’s troubles, viewed through the eyes of a child. His 40 years in Hell alone would be enough to traumatize and break anyone, much less the sad-eyed little boy hugging Cas’s oversized coat around him like a security blanket.

“Maybe we should stop on the way home,” Castiel suggested, glancing over at him. “Are you hungry, Dean?” Dean liked bacon and pie — Cas could probably find him some pie anywhere, even at a gas station.

Dean turned big green eyes on him, though, and shook his head. That alone was worrying; Cas knew that Dean’s appetite was less when he was going through the roughest of times.

Pulling into the parking lot of the gas station, the angel considered his options. He would buy some pie anyway, he decided, just in case Dean changed his mind. Children changed their minds often, from what he’d read about them. This was actually the longest Castiel had spent around a child Dean’s age in his entire existence.

Dean sat up quickly when Cas opened the car door, eyes wide.

“It’s okay, Dean,” Cas said gently, “We’re only going to be here for a few minutes.”

Dean’s eyes began to tear up, though, and his little arms raised out of the trench coat to reach for Cas. ‘Hugs,’ came the silent plea with his eyes. Cas felt the longing, just like he had the last time.

“I won’t leave you, Dean,” he soothed, climbing out of the car and keeping eye contact with the boy from there. Cas tried smiling at him to reassure him. “I’m bringing you with me. I just need to open your door so I can take your seat belt off, okay?”

Bravely, Dean lowered his hands and offered the tiniest nod in return. Castiel smiled and nodded at him, too. He still felt worried as he closed the car door, and it made him hurry to the other side.

Dean’s green eyes were peering over the edge as best he could from his seat. Cas opened the car door and leaned to unstrap the seat belt, and Dean threw himself into the angel’s arms, hugging tight around his neck again. Cas scooped up the trench coat and wrapped it around the boy again as a sort of protective blanket. He carried Dean into the store that way, rubbing his back gently.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Dean. I’ll look after you,” Cas murmured to him, stepping into the store and looking around. Sighting the snack food aisle, he started that way…and paused as he saw a small supply and hardware section toward the back of the store. Ordinarily that wouldn’t have seemed important, but right now the fancy brown cowboy hats on the top rack might be what could make little Dean feel better.

Dean tapped his shoulder, looking down the snack aisle at the pies as they passed. As Cas suspected, once he saw the treats he was more hungry than he’d thought.

“We’ll get you some pie,” Cas promised, smiling at him. “And how about something for Sam? What does Sam like?”

Dean looked at him for a long moment, then did a quick glance around the store. After that the little boy pointed confidently at the coolers.

“Beer?” Cas asked, squinting at where he was pointing. Dean quickly shook his head, leaning to point as far over as his little arm could. Following the line of his small fingers, Cas realized he meant the next cooler down. “Fruit,” he realized, and Dean nodded to confirm it.

Cas stepped down the aisle and picked out a bowl of diced mixed fruits, giving it to Dean to hold.

“That’s a great idea. Sam does love fruit and vegetables.”

Dean rested his head on the angel’s shoulder, looking out across the store. Cas brought him to the snack aisle to pick out a slice of pie. Dean dutifully did so, but he still didn’t smile, even when Cas found a cherry pie slice, his favorite.

“We’re almost ready to go back home to Sam,” Cas reassured him, stepping down the hardware aisle. “First we need one more thing. You remember how much you like cowboys, don’t you?”

Dean’s eyes lit up at the word ‘cowboys’ and he sat up a little, nodding. Cas smiled and pulled a nice brown hat from the shelf above Dean’s line of sight, placing it on his head. It was far too big, hanging down over his eyes unless he pushed it up. Dean didn’t seem to care, though. As he pushed the hat brim up enough to look out from under, he turned shining green eyes up at Castiel and the sweetest little smile curved at his mouth. Castiel had to smile back.

“I’m your huckleberry,” he quoted to the kid, starting back to the front of the store to pay. “Yeehaw.”

‘Yeehaw,’ Dean mouthed back, even though he didn’t make a sound. Cas patted his back and smiled like he’d still heard it. One step at a time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading my fic! This and Suddenly Small were inspired by artwork I drew that I was just inventing backstory for, and I'm happy others are enjoying this little de-aged series. I hope you liked the latest installment -- I do intend to make some more. Comments and kudos always appreciated!


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